Side note: I know that angel feathers can heal; but it is unclear if it works on only humans or if it will also work on angels in the show. Canonically, it is stated that they can heal any wound, injury or illness instantly, but despite this, it is never really shown being used for any of the injuries that any of them get in the show except for when Lucifer offered to heal Linda. It is not used to heal any of their own wounds on screen. As such, considering the nature of angels, I think the feathers are more used to heal people/others/non-angels than it is to actually heal angels.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
EMOTIONAL UNREST
The shock never quite settles, with questions rearing loudly in their heads, but no one quite brave enough to say a word. It is as if the moment that things settle down, with Ariel drifting in and out of sleep, mumbling words that only her brothers seem to understand, that everything is really able to hit them - and it hits them like a truck that seems to keep plowing them down the longer that they're left to think about it.
Alice, despite her initial excitement, starts to look more and more worried, with furrowed brows; why didn't she see any of this coming? Should she be worried that she didn't see any of this coming? She keeps glancing to the unassuming proclaimed devil - no The Devil. No matter how closely she looks at him, he still doesn't look evil; and she trusts Ariel enough, at least she tells herself that she does, to at the very least, believe that no one is an immediate danger. Aside from Ariel herself. Alice still isn't fully convinced that her new mother is completely in the clear; she doesn't see anything about her death, but considering that her previous vision proclaimed it and that didn't happen, who knows if she will see it? Her visions don't change often and it is always so tricky when they do.
Jasper sticks very close to her, the grip on her waist slowly gets tighter as the look on his face becomes more and more strained; the emotional energy in the room projecting too much for his liking and while he is trying his best to calm Edward, he can only do so much as Edward continues to have that far-away, pained look in his eyes. Alice glances toward her brother in concern; but he doesn't seem to notice, instead taking a place in a chair off in the corner.
He needs to sit down. His head is buzzing too much, creating a dull, throbbing ache. His ability has never been so overwhelming, but they never thought that they would have this much to think about before either. His own thoughts are too much to handle without adding his siblings' into the mix. He refuses to look Ariel's brothers in the eyes and does his best not to engage at all with her 'younger' brother. He knows that he will see her younger brother eventually in the future, he would rather not have that exchange sooner than needed.
Rosalie, aside from Carlisle, is the only one handling it 'well.' Unlike Edward, she isn't too concerned about the implications that it brings - as much as she would like to say that she's upset about it being real, she knows that if anyone would belong in hell, it would have been the son of a bitch that nearly killed her. The confirmation that, with it being real, means that the bastard is suffering, fills her up with a satisfaction that even killing him didn't bring. She swallows down the other emotions that bubble in her chest - like what it would mean for her in the end, especially having killed him among others. She straightens her back and stares at the Devil challenging, as if to say that she doesn't regret a thing in her life - which is mostly true, aside from the small regrets that she has each time she sees a child smile.
Lucifer meets her gaze with a mix of confusion and interest, but each time he takes a step toward her, with a dangerously flirtatious look in his eyes, Emmett steps between them with a huff.
Eventually, Ariel's restless on and off again consciousness turns into a deep, soft slumber as exhaustion starts to settle into her bones. Amenadiel takes a step forward, but Carlisle reaches her first. He scoops her up in his arms, whispering soft reassurances with worried eyes as he excuses himself to take her back into the bedroom where she can be more comfortable.
He glances over his shoulder toward his family and they can see the heartbreak in his eyes as he takes in the pained expression of Edward, and the panic that has cast over Alice and Jasper. He wishes that he could say something that would make it all go away - but he can't. He doesn't have any of the answers to the questions he can see in their eyes and the only person who they would trust to give them those answers is currently beyond her limit.
"Please - keep things down," Carlisle pleads softly, desperation seeping from his voice. Then he turns to Lucifer and Amenadiel, more apprehensive and off-put as Lucifer takes a flash from the inner pocket of his suit jacket to down. "-Perhaps we can continue this discussion later when she's better - "
"-But the knife," Amenadiel insists, taking a step forward; knowing that he can't trust such a weapon in any of their hands. Lucifer is the one to stop him, shaking his head and glancing toward Ariel in Carlisle's arms.
Carlisle still isn't sure what to make of The Devil. But when Lucifer looks at his older sister with such a worried, heartbroken look despite the forced confidence on his face, Carlisle is reminded of Ariel's constant stories of how closer her and her little brother are. Untrusting, but giving him the benefit of the doubt, Carlisle speaks softly.
"Then you are more than welcome to stay here until she gets better, but please don't wake her."
It is a reasonable enough demand, one the brothers can agree to. Carlisle doesn't stick around long enough, however, immediately heading off to take care of Ariel, knowing full well of the awkward tension that he is leaving behind him.
Lucifer watches them both go with a heavy heart, his brows furrowed in concern for his older sister. Seeing her in pain is like a knife twisting into his gut, but at least he knows that no matter how dire her wound is, at least she can go back home to heal. Speaking from experience, getting down is a lot easier than coming up; at least that is what he keeps telling himself as he tries to swallow down his fears for her. He glances toward Amenadiel to see the concern mirrored on his face as well. They both know, deep down, how bad her wounds looked as much as they try to ignore it. Just as they both know that there's only one place for her to get better.
He just really hopes that she'd be able to get back to her real home soon afterward. He sees the way that doctor watches her - talks to her - and with a bit of envy at the ease of the relationship between them, he knows that her absence will take its toll on him if it is too long.
He shakes his head and tries to focus instead on the rest of the Cullens that are still present in the room, taking in the mix reactions with a wild grin.
"- Ariel has spoken about you lot often, you know?" The look in his eyes is intimidating as he steps forward, shadows casting across his eyes - the tension only breaks as the tone of his voice shifts. He opens up his suit jacket and starts digging through his pockets, "Now which one of you is the ones that sees the future because I brought a few lottery tickets with me -"
"Just what am I doing to do with you, darling," Carlisle whispers softly as they reach the bedroom, his fingers delicately petting through her hair.
Her chest struggles to rise and fall as she curls into his chest as he carries her. His focus has never strayed from her, not for a moment. Even as things began to drift to topics that he didn't know of, he always focused on her. He never missed the way that her heart pulsed, skipping beats, going too fast to be comfortable. Now, he wishes that it was going faster. As he gently sets her onto the bed, he can hear her heart drift away - dangerously getting to slow for comfort.
Her skin looks worse than it did before. Even after he puts fresh bandages on her wounds, her skin is struggling to stay together. The edges of the wounds are an infuriating shade of red, irritated and itchy whereas the rest of her body lacks any color, her toes are starting to gain a shade of blue to them. She had lost a lot of blood. Now he worries that she lost too much.
It is just when he fears for the worst and is close to getting her brothers, in hopes that they can do something that her eyes flutter open. He knows that she is struggling to see clearly by the way that she squints closely at him before her lips turn into a soft, graceful smile. When her hand weakly outstretches toward him, he takes it gently into his. Her skin doesn't feel as warm as it has before, having grown colder.
He's losing her; he knows that, but knowing something and accepting it are two very different things.
"I know you have a lot of questions, Carlisle," Ariel's voice is so soft that he even strains to hear it. She looks at him with so much in her eyes - too much to explore right now. "I promise that you'll get your answers - but there is something that I can tell you right now."
She gestures for him to come closer and he obeys, kneeling down beside the bed so that she can lean in toward him. She whispers something in his ears that is as ominous as it is promising. She tells him not to blame himself for this and her words are full of a soft confession from her heart as she expresses that she'll be okay, to not worry about her. Each word is a knife to his heart as he holds her hand tightly, refusing to let go.
Ariel's eyes are glistening as she presses a kiss to his temple, "Go. Show my brothers the knife like Delia asked. I'll be okay, love."
Carlisle doesn't want to go, but she makes it clear that she won't allow him to stay. She keeps pressing, insisting, and her smile makes him believe her. He starts to believe it when she says that she will be okay, not to worry about her. He starts to believe that she will get better. So, the fool, he leaves not knowing that when he returns, she will be gone.
